Forum:A series of newbie questions
Hello, I have a few issues with just running freeciv to play locally, alone against AIs. (Freshest source compiled on Ubuntu 12.04) 0. I've had a hard time compiling, with a load of dependencies to find (or rather to guess which lib and/or dev packages, exactly, is expected). Also, the ./configure error messages are not always very helpful in just telling the gtk or xuw variant could not be install, with an information just above about a gtk/xuw package missing, while it's a fact a dependency package missing (which usually can be guessed anyway). I just say that if ever this can be solved to make life easier to other newbies (or is a test of motivation ;-). Finally, all seems fine with the xuw variant (never managed with the gtk version, but now I have a huge list of gtk-related package installed for no use, that I cannot remove since I don't have their list). Just remains sdl-mixer for sound that I cannot find the right expected package (there are ton, installed libsdl-mixer1.2-dev & d libsdl-net.2-dev without success); but, well, let us do without sound. I get errors about sdl.sound only when starting the client, and only from the command-line. 1. I cannot start a game just from the client either as explained in docs (eitehr from the menu or command-line); with, if I understand well, a local server started automagically under the hood? There is no such thing by me as a "start game" button mentionned in the docs; only a server connection mini-window which process always fails (pretending to check a password I have no field to enter anyway). As long as I don't pass this step, the main game interface then visible in the backgroung remains inaccesible. 2. Starting the server from the menu apparently fails, or I miss a relevant point. This just seems to open a totally blank terminal window, and on which I cannot write. Again trying to connect a client then (either started before of after the server) does not succed. 3. The only way to play I have found is starting the server from the command-line. Then, a client just connects finely (either from the command-line or the menu, and without any password) and I can play (yo!). 4. But... I just discovered save files and server option files are saved in my home dir!!! The dir ~./freeciv is totally empty (not even a save/ subdir there). After researches, found a little point in the FAQ (not "Where are the save games located by default?" but just above "The server cannot save games!"). It is said there "If you are running the server from the command line, however, any savegames will be stored in the current directory." I guess there is thus a solution by starting the server from ~/.freeciv/saves (manually created), but I would prefere to avoid such workaraunds, and just play normally. (I'll do that in the meanwhile, as I have some free time to play today). Note: It would be cool for newbies to have somewhere in a "getting started" or tutorial doc an explaination of the right way to just start playing, and variants, and common issues, blackages and workarounds; even a doc obviously visible just dedicated to that, since it does not seem to be that trivial; probably there are such docs, but after 2 days mostly struggling with that, I could not find them. 5. So, is there a way to play normally, have the server be started from the client, or work as expected from the menu, and files saved in the expected location? (This is slightly more important for me because I intend to "play" (sic) rather much with server options thus need server option save file to be found and not pollute my home dir). (I would also prefere not to manipulate environment varaables, I can never remember which they are and where they may well be located, except there are places depending on and overlapping use cases.) Please be clear because I'm not only new to freeciv but to such games in general, in particular I know basically nothing about server-powered games. Thank you very much for you attention, Denis PS: A totally unrelated question: is there a way to access menus without holding the mouse down? And a way to read terrain stats without using the central button (awkward because of the wheel)? I would be happy with keys, if any and more or less mnemonic. :In brief, pretty much all of the issues you quote stem from your use of the Xaw client freeciv-xaw. It may have easier build dependencies, but it's not really well supported any more -- it mostly still builds out of habit -- and it doesn't have "modern" features, like good support for a spawned server. :You'd be better off using the Gtk client. You will have to install the correct build dependencies. (And we can't really provide step-by-step documentation for that as the details are different in every OS/distribution, sorry.) :-- JTN (talk) 00:25, December 5, 2012 (UTC)